Knowledge Center Catalog

Use of biotechnology in wheat breeding in the Southern Cone Region

Kohli, M.M.

Use of biotechnology in wheat breeding in the Southern Cone Region - Montevideo (Uruguay) CIMMYT : 2000 - 1-16 - Printed

Wheat is an important crop for the winter season in the Southern cone region of South America. Given the spread of its cultivation under different ecological and management environments, it makes a critical contribution to the regional economy Most wheat breeding programs are conventional and have made significant progress in grain yield and other|agronomic characters.||The present study reports the responses to a biotech survey among major wheat breeding programs of the region and CIMMYT The results show a very hig level of interest and knowledge among the wheat breeders regarding different biotechnologies and methodologies available for germplasm improvement, but very few of them have been utilized with varying rates of success. The reasons for the lack of adoption are explored. Most believe that application of some technologies such as double-haploids and molecular markers will probably be widespread in wheat improvement programs over the next decade or so. The use of molecular markers will be primarily sought to screen for industrial quality and biotic stress characteristics.||There is visible concern regarding foreseeable reduction in the free exchange of germplasm internationally and its safe keeping in the gene-banks. Several ideas to keep genetic variability flowing among the programs are proposed.


English

9974-7586-1-0


Biotechnology
Food production
Genetic variation
Haploidy
South America
Triticum
Plant breeding

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